(Untitled)

[dream_departed]

Aya has always thought calling it the Tower of London was totally misleading. It isn't one dark tower on hill, it's fortress.

The line leading down to the torture chamber stretched across the court yard. Aya turned to the left in time to watch the beefeaters change guard.

Comments

[x_ginta_x]

Ginta was practically choking just looking at the beefeaters and started rubbing at his neck. "Don't know how they can stand to wear those ruffly things. Ugh."

Eventually the two make their way to the beginning of the line. One of the beefeaters greets them, announces that he'll be guiding their tour, and begins to usher them through the old stony chambers. The guide started with some of the simpler implements, pointing out a pair of iron shackles used to hang people from their hands. He mentioned that when those put in the shackles were tall enough to have their feet touch the ground the dirt beneath was dug away, leaving them to dangle painfully. Ginta rubbed at his wrists now, momentarily distracted from imagining the discomfort the ruff must cause in favour of imagining what those shackles must be like.

[dream_departed]

"It's just tradition. There are other guards that wear hats made out of real bears. And bears are endangered here."

Aya looks at the devices with a cheerful and enthusiastic interest. "Torture seems really ridiculous as an interrogation technique to me. Who wouldn't say anything the interrogator wanted to hear with molten lead being poured on you?"

[x_ginta_x]

Ginta nods, looking at an Iron Maided whose spikes had gone dull with age. "And if they really couldn't bring themselves to spill the truth I imagine they could just lie about something similar to what they wanted to hear."

It was just then that the guide was explaining a few such incidents where people who were enemies of those tortured had the finger pointed at them and were later found to be innocent. He also went into some of the finer points of what the torture contraptions did. Ginta couldn't understand a word.

"Um," he whispered to Aya, "is he saying anything interesting?"

[dream_departed]

"Exactly."

Aya looks at Ginta. Her eyes soften. She says, "No." in a way that means Yes.

There is a fish and chips booth near the area where the tour groups exit the torture chambers. The fish and chips come in a styrofoam container rather than being wrapped in newspaper.

"I'm starved. Would you like something to eat?"

[x_ginta_x]

"Ahh." He nods his head, getting the impression that there's more to ask about, but deciding it isn't important.

"Sure." He walks up to the booth with her. When they get their respective meals and sit down on the edge of a nearby fountain, Ginta starts peeling the breading off of his fish before eating it. "So what's up next? I know there's enough of this place to keep us busy all day, but I also remember you mentioning a couple of other places."

[dream_departed]

Aya watches Ginta, and likewise begins peeling the breading off with a fork. She takes one of the little packages of vinegar and pours it over the fish.

"The crown jewels are here in the tower. I'm not sure if you would be interested in them. The city also has a wax museum and a really big clock."

[x_ginta_x]

"Really big clock?" he asks, taking a big bite of his fish and barely managing to remember not to talk before he's swallowed it. "How big is really big?" Ginta wonders how large something he's seen in most modern homes would have to be in order to qualify as something to be seen. He is also picturing more of a digital setup since that is the kind of clock he's most used to seeing in this time.

[dream_departed]

"Huge. It's in a tower at the House of Parliament."

[x_ginta_x]

Ginta's eyes widened. "That does sound impressive." He crumples up the styrofoam container he had been eating out of and tosses it into a nearby trash can. "That definitely seems like a good next stop. Unless you wanna see those jewels next since they're nearby?"

[dream_departed]

"I've seen them. And you've probably seen more than enough jewels."

Aya-chan PINpoints them to outside Westminster Palace. Their arrival startles some pigeons and a group of elderly American tourists.

"Performance art," she says off-handedly, trying to tug Ginta away.

[x_ginta_x]

Ginta laughs wryly. "Heh, I've had my fill of what the remnants of a certain jewel can do, yeah."

The American tourists snap pictures as they walk away, murmuring about how that was much more entertaining than the mimes they'd crossed in Paris.Ginta is easily tugged since, at this point, his eyes have already latched onto the clock tower looming before them.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting something quite like this. It's so tall. And pointy. And not one of those light up types of cloc-" Before he could finish his babbling the clock struck twelve and the Big Ben bell started chiming the hour.

It was a tremendous sound at this short of a distance and it didn't quite hurt Ginta's ears so much as it felt like it set the inside of his head and chest to vibrating. "...Dang," he breathed once the chimes had ceased. "That was... definitely impressive."

[dream_departed]

"The clock face lights up at night.

"This building is the House of Parliament, where laws are passed. Do you want to take a look inside?" Aya is fairly certain that they aren't supposed to look inside, but that is what PINpoints are for.

[x_ginta_x]

Ginta is completely unaware of what they are and aren't allowed to do here and agrees readily. "Sure!"

When they are zapped inside they land in the very spacious and, currently, very empty Westminister Hall. Ginta nearly falls over while craning his neck to look at the detailed wood work high, high above them.

"Wow..." The word bounces back at them in echos and Ginta grins. "Heh, I'm glad you suggested that we come in here."

[dream_departed]

Aya flops down in a chair generally occupied by a minister. "I'm glad you like it. But you haven't had much of a chance to practice English so far."

[x_ginta_x]

"True. Heh, bit out of place not to speak that in a place called England, huh?" he says sheepishly. "Any suggestions on where I should start brushing up?"

[dream_departed]

"Hm. Well, there is a very nice store near here called Harrods. Maybe if there was something you wanted to buy, you could practice talking to the shopkeepers. They are probably used to tourists."